The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-05
"a STUNNING BIOGRAPHY.

"a STUNNING BIOGRAPHY.
biography of Governor Gray in the New
York Sun, in connection with the proposition
to make him the Democratic candidate for
Vice president, is calculated to attract great
attention, especially wherever our Joey Bag
stock is known. We quote little personal
description:
Governor Gray is about fifty years of age,
five feet eleven inches high, with well-knit,
graceful figure. He dresses more carefully
than Western public men generally, and is a
good-looking man. He wears no whiskers,
has small mustache, and is rapidly becom-
ing bald His friends call him Ike"
Who sat for this pleasing little picture, we
are at a loss to know but it is cruel to deprive
the Governor of that hirsute adornment to
his chin, upon which he has bestowed so much
care and expense That small mustache"
is in the nature of discovery.
The sketch continues:
HE has had something of record, too.
He was a soldier and up to 1872 Republican.
Then he went into the Greeley movement,
and has since been consistent Democrat.
For short time he was colonel of the Fourth
Indiana Cavalry, organized in Indianapolis in
1862 Since he has been Democrat he has
seen considerable public life. In 1876 he was
elected Acknowledgements of the State, and
served with Gov. Blue Jeans Williams.
Governor Williams died, and Gray was acting
Governor for three years, and his friends say
that he was an exceptionally good one."
"He was soldier" The Journal recently
printed the full official record of Isaac P.
Gray's military service, and if there seems to
be demand for it, it may be necessary to re-
produce it. HE was a soldier" That he
served three years Governor, when Lieu
tenant-governor, is an access of information.
Recently, when apologizing for his pardon of
of the chief of the Carroll county banditti. he
explained that he did it when he was young
and inexperienced, while serving out the few
days that were left of the term of Gov. Blue
Jeans Williams
The Sun historian proceeds:
'He was candidate for Governor in 1882,
but was beaten by A. G. Porter"
This is real news; two historic gems in one
brief sentence. That Governor of any kind
was elected in 1882 is a novelty, and that
Governor Porter defeated him is another one.
Governor Porter defeated Franklin Landers in
1880. Gray was Mr.. Landers's associate on
the ticket. This sort of information is very
valuable in making up history, especially in
the East. The vast and varied transformation
that appears in New York newspapers about
national affairs, and Western matters par
ticularly, shows the utter provincialism of
New York journalism. A man who would
commit so many blunders in writing about
man of any prominence, as is here done in the
New York Sun, could not hold an editorial
position on any Western newspaper of char
acter for day. And the Sun is not peculiar
among its contemporaries for the density of
its ignorance about things outside the narrow
horizon of its vision. The Gray biography
concludes with fact or two that we commend
to the Democratic admirers of the Governor.
Governor Gray is an Ohio man, and went
from that State to Indiana about 1859. While
a resident of Ohio he identified with the
Know nothing party. He was very en-
thusiastic Republican up to 1872, and it is
said that his particular strength politician
lies in his ability to organize still hunt cam
paigns."
Governor Gray's record soldier, and his
record as Know-nothing and Republican,
ought to make him solid with the Democracy.
Cleveland and Gray is the Democratic ticket
for 1888.